Vacation with Boys: What I re-learned

Our family vacation. It begins every year with a smartly packed minivan that somehow ends up over-filled before leaving our driveway, sentencing me to a 3 1/2 hour drive with no legroom. But I don’t mind. It’s my week away with my family, a chance to disconnect from the stresses of work and life and to make lasting memories, and for me to figure out what it means to vacation with boys. It’s different from my girly-girl childhood. When I became a Mother of Boys, I worried that I wouldn’t be relevant on these types of trips. But so far so good (after all, who else would think to pack these little guys underwear and a mix of cool-weather and hot-weather clothes?). Here are 10 things I (re-)learned this week about taking a beach vacation with boys:

Shovels will be used as swords. It’s inevitable, and by now, I really should have predicted this.

Everyone (except me) will be topless. Shirts will be abandoned, and the mere suggestion of wearing one will be met with much resistance.

Wet bathing suits will be worn for hours — so many hours — and then thrown on the hotel floor in a crumpled ball so that they will never dry, until I stumble on them, uncrumple them, and hang them on the deck.

Sand castles will be built. Sand castles will be kicked and destroyed.

I will be chased by boys carrying slimy seaweed.

Crabs will be sought, and crabs will be caught.

Seeing my little boys by the ocean will remind me of how truly small they are, and that they have a world of discovery ahead of them. (And as I have a sweet moment reflecting on this, they begin to sword-fight with shovels).

The wonder of the beach and its awesome sandy playground is topped only by the indoor pool. (note: a one-night stay at a local motor inn with an indoor pool would probably be equally as thrilling as this vacation for my boys, and I love that).

Farts will be funny at night. And in the morning. And at the beach. And the car. All the time, really.

I will spend the car ride passing out snacks and tissues and wet wipes and toys and blankets. Constantly moving around. So I guess I don’t need much legroom, after all.

ToplessBoys kick sandWe caught a crab — and let him goSo much to discover

Hey there just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your post seem to be running off the screen in Firefox. I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you know. The style and design look great though! Hope you get the issue fixed soon. Cheers

Thanks so much for providing individuals with an extremely marvellous opportunity to read from here. It really is very kind and as well , stuffed with a lot of fun for me and my office mates to visit your blog a minimum of 3 times a week to learn the newest guidance you have got. And definitely, I’m also usually fulfilled concerning the good suggestions you serve. Selected 3 points in this posting are basically the very best we have ever had.

As seen on

Follow M.O.B. Truths

Categories

COPYRIGHT

One goal of this blog is to connect with others and share stories. It's great to share! Please keep in mind that all images and text on this site are property of M.O.B. Truths. Feel free to use a photo as long as a link back to my original post is included. Please do not remove any watermarks, crop or edit any of my images, without first obtaining written permission from me (see Contact M.O.B. Truths tab). Pinning and sharing on social media is always appreciated, as is good, old-fashioned word-of-mouth. Thank you!